LOCATION QUITTER WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic Pachic Fulvicryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Quitter extremely gravelly medial sandy loam- forestland, on a 75 percent northeast-facing slope at an elevation of 3,370 feet in a mountain hemlock/Alaska huckleberry plant association. (When described on August 13, 1991 the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A--2 to 6 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry; weak very fine and fine granular and weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel, 35 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--6 to 12 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--12 to 17 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--17 to 29 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 17 to 33 inches.)
R--29 inches; hard marine basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Grays Harbor County, Washington, about 2.5 miles southwest of Three Peaks, about 930 feet west and 2,520 feet south of the northeast corner of section 33, T. 23 N., R. 7 W. (Latitude 47 degrees, 27 minutes, 13 seconds N., Longitude 123 degrees, 35 minutes, 40 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F. Mean summer soil temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. Mean winter soil temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F. These soils are usually moist and have a surplus of available water on a monthly basis throughout the year; perudic moisture regime. Depth to bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section from the mineral soil surface to the bedrock contact has andic soil properties. The andic soil material has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.30 to 0.70 g/cc, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 6 percent, phosphate retention is 85 to 100 percent, 15-bar water retention of 20 to 50 percent for air-dried samples, and 60 to 90 percent rock fragments by volume. Acid oxalate extractable iron is 3 to 5 percent. The umbric epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 moist and 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist. It has 20 to 40 percent organic matter. It has 5 to 12 cmol/kg of aluminum.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist and 4 through 6 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, extremely cobbly medial sandy loam, or extremely cobbly medial loam. It has 10 to 20 percent organic mater. It has 2 to 5 cmol/kg of aluminum.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brandenberry and Merriman series. Brandenberry soils have less than 2 cmol/kg of aluminum in the subsoil. Merriman soils developed over sedimentary bedrock, have lower acid oxalate extractable iron percentage and have an ochric epipedon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Quitter soils are on mid-slopes of mountains. Slopes are 60 to 100 percent. The soils are formed in colluvium from marine basalt and associated volcanic rocks. Elevations are 2,500 to 4,200 feet. Average annual precipitation is 150 to 230 inches. Average annual temperature is 39 to 43 degrees F. Frost-free season is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Weatherwax soil. Weatherwax soils are on mountain slopes and are very shallow to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is mountain hemlock, Pacific silver fir, Alaska yellowcedar, western hemlock, oval-leaf huckleberry, Alaska huckleberry, deerfoot vanillaleaf, threeleaf foamflower, mosses, and avalanche lily.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Olympic Mountains of Mason and Grays Harbor Counties, Washington; MLRA 3. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grays Harbor County, Washington, 2000; Olympic National Forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: an umbric epipedon from 2 to 12 inches, a cambic horizon from 12 to 29 inches and andic soil properties from the mineral soil surface to 29 inches. The particle-size control section is from 2 to 29 inches (A and Bw horizons).
All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.